Ernie Simmons Swordfish

[Mike]

I've been trying to put together a listing of the ex-Ernie Simmons Swordfish. Various sources mention between 7 and 9 examples. So far I believe I have identified the following candidates:

W5856 RNHF Yeovilton
'NS122' Rockliffe Museum
HS164 CAF Midland Tx
HS469 Shearwater Museum
HS491 Malta
HS503 RAF Museum Stafford store
HS509 last noted at Rockcliffe for spares use
HS517 last noted stored at Oshawa, Ontario
HS554 VWoC (C-GEVS)
An identified example in storage with Kermit Weeks

I believe that the Shearwater one may not be ex-Simmons.

Making a total of 10 possibilities, if all these are ex-Simmons, are all still extant and there is no double-counting of airframes on my list.

Also, I believe some of the identities are assumed, as the original identities were not discovered on some airframes.

Does the Bristol Heritage Collection in Tennessee still have one. If so, which one is it?

Which one was owned and later sold by the Calgary museum?

There was a thread here back in 2004 when the Malta museum acquired their example viewtopic.php?p=9752

Does anyone have any more information?

MTIA

[Wildchild]

Kermit Weeks has one with a canopy that came from Canada that could be one of his...

[Barrie MacLeod]

The Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Alberta, Canada has 95 aircraft including a Simmons Swordfish.

[mrp]

Mike,

There were seven sold at the auction. One went to Bob Spence at the time and this became HS554. In the course of the restoration he acquired three other airframes which had been also sold at the auction to different buyers. It was these remnants which were sold on to Malta.
At the time of the auction two of the airframes ended up in Texas.i think these maybe the airframe and Golden Hill and the CAF example.
The RAF example certainly came from the auction.
The Reynolds Museum in Wetaskawin AB has the ex Calgary example which they identify as HS509.
The CASM Ottawa example came from the Simmon's farm prior to the auction in 1965.it was too corroded at the time to tell the number, so it was given the I'd NS122.
The Shearwater example did at come from the Simmons farm. It came from another farm in Ontario. It was in worse shape than the Simmons ones!

The FAA W5856 airframe was claimed to have come from an Alabama farm. It was supposed to be converted into a crop duster.. I have never seen any connection if it came from the Simmon's farm. At the time Strahallan acquired the Swordfish, it was clearly stated that it had come from Alabama. The question that I have never seen, is if it came via Simmons first.

I have pictures of all the Canadian Swordfish if you want them

Where is the resident Swordfish expert, is he still AWOL?

[Dan K]

The Reynolds Museum in Wetaskawin AB has the ex Calgary example which they identify as HS509...

No expert here...just sayin' that this link has the Reynolds example listed as HS498

http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1331799/

[Pathfinder]

If you ever have two hours free I'll tell you all about my 30 minute flight over Windsor in The Spence Stringbag with Pete Spence!

Just an incredible experience...standing up in an open cockpit aircraft!

[JohnB]

. At the time Strahallan acquired the Swordfish, it was clearly stated that it had come from Alabama. The question that I have never seen, is if it came via Simmons first.

If I rcall correctly, I remember reading somewhere (probably Air Classics being thatwas the only magazine of its type readily available here at the time) that the top price for any of the aircraft at the auction was for a Swordfish that went to Scotland. I always assumed it was that example.

[WallyB]

The FAA W5856 airframe was claimed to have come from an Alabama farm. It was supposed to be converted into a crop duster.. I have never seen any connection if it came from the Simmon's farm. At the time Strahallan acquired the Swordfish, it was clearly stated that it had come from Alabama. The question that I have never seen, is if it came via Simmons first.

Jennings Carter was the Alabaman: http://www.alabamaaviationhalloffame.co ... index.html

In 1962, he went to Canada and bought a derelict Fairey swordfish, the type aircraft which sank the Bismarck, and kept it stored in his hangar for many years. This plane, now grandly restored, is at the fleet air arm museum in Yeovilton, England and is one of three in the world flying today.

Trying to sort out the others - who has what where - makes me dizzy.

[Dan K]

Some more info sources on the Shearwater example, which is apparently a survivor of the salvaging efforts at the Cameron Logan farm.


This 2004 thread from Flypast...


http://forum.keypublishing.com/attachme ... 1096481272

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=32473



And this 1996 article from Aeroplane monthly:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JhcYAAtlcWw/T ... ogan+3.jpg

[Steve]

if you use the search feature for WIX there are quite a few topics on "Simmons"




thanks
Steve

[Mike]

Thanks to everyone for their input so far.

if you use the search feature for WIX there are quite a few topics on "Simmons"

Thanks Steve. Yes, I've had a look at them. There are also listings in the registry of surviving Swordfish by serial number, and another listing by 'Simmons number'. All of which information is out of date, contradictory and inconclusive, hence my question to see if I can clarify any of the murky details.

[mrhenniger]

The one on display at Rockcliffe is a form Simmons airframe, they just don't have an ID for it. I wasn't aware there was another in storage.

Mike